The military said its squadrons practiced refuelling planes in midair this week and tested the air force’s ability. The accompanying footage shows a tanker plane refuelling a fighter jet midair, a key part of any long-range operation.The release of the video comes just days before Western powers are to open new talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Israel has repeatedly warned that it would be willing to take military action if necessary to stop Iran from going nuclear.The talks on Iran’s nuclear program will be held next week with the five permanent UN Security Council members — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France — plus Germany, collectively known as the P5+1.President Barack Obama disclosed in an interview with The Associated Press last Friday that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran continues to be a year or more away from building a nuclear weapon, in contrast to Israel’s assessment that Tehran is closer.In recent speeches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against letting Iran drag the world along for talks while it continues to pursue a bomb. He’s been on a media blitz of late to warn the West against President Hassan Rouhani’s softer tone, which he dismissed as a trick aimed at removing crippling economic sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.Israeli military officials said the drill took place over Greece, a key regional ally. The military has done similar drills in the past but releasing the footage appears aimed at sending a message to Iran before the talks that a viable military options remains.Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence, citing Iran’s repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, its long-range missile program and its support for violent anti-Israel groups like the Hezbollah in Lebanon.Since the UN General Assembly last month, Netanyahu has assured journalists in the United States that he supports President Barack Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, while also calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” not to be trusted.Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as it continues to enrich uranium well beyond the grade required for any civilian nuclear use.The former senior official told the Post that Israeli intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia would not wait “a minute” after Iran acquires a nuclear weapon to build or buy one themselves, risking a nuclear arms race in the world’s least stable region.“The Saudis have the missile technology already,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they don’t just take warheads from the Pakistanis. They’ve already paid for them.”Emphasizing the importance of existing sanctions, the official said Iran would try to get the financial pressures lifted with as few concessions as possible.While generally supportive of the prime minister’s policy, he said that the leadership of Israel’s intelligence community has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against striking and said that the tone of his speech to the UN last month was “a mistake.”“He’s not the commander-in-chief,” he added. “But he can achieve consensus. And it can be done without leaks – it can be done.”....'Netanyahu is Not Bluffing on Intention To Strike Iran'Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “is not bluffing” on his intentions to strike Iran, should the Islamic Republic continue its nuclear program for much longer, a former senior Israeli military official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.“Bibi’s not bluffing,” said the retired senior official, who requested anonymity to speak freely. “He thinks it’s the 1930s. The Iranians are the Germans, and history has a sense of humor with six million Jews now in Israel.”Since the UN General Assembly last month, Netanyahu has assured journalists in the United States that he supports President Barack Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, while also calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” not to be trusted.Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as it continues to enrich uranium well beyond the grade required for any civilian nuclear use.The former senior official told the Post that Israeli intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia would not wait “a minute” after Iran acquires a nuclear weapon to build or buy one themselves, risking a nuclear arms race in the world’s least stable region.“The Saudis have the missile technology already,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they don’t just take warheads from the Pakistanis. They’ve already paid for them.”Emphasizing the importance of existing sanctions, the official said Iran would try to get the financial pressures lifted with as few concessions as possible.While generally supportive of the prime minister’s policy, he said that the leadership of Israel’s intelligence community has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against striking and said that the tone of his speech to the UN last month was “a mistake.”“He’s not the commander-in-chief,” he added. “But he can achieve consensus. And it can be done without leaks – it can be done.”

Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pa., is being awarded a $197,571,818 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00024-12-C-2106) for naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pa. (93 percent), and Schenectady, N.Y. (7 percent). Fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $167,183,261 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. No completion date or additional information is provided on naval nuclear propulsion program contracts. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

ManTech SRS Technologies Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineer services contract for architecture-engineering and/or environmental services for preparation of military readiness activities documentation including environmental and operational military range planning documents for primarily Pacific Fleet and United States (U.S.) activities in the Pacific Ocean and the western U.S., but may also include work on military training and testing areas and installations around the world. The maximum dollar value for the not-to-exceed 84-month period (including the base period and six option years) combined is $85,000,000. No task orders are being issued at this time. The term of the contract is not to exceed seven years, with an expected completion date of October 2020. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services, Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $21,652,898 cost-plus-fixed fee contract for major production and in-service efforts such as the Evolved Seasparrow Missile, NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile System, Stalker Long Range Electro-Optical Sensor Suite and day-to-day office operation in support of the 12 nations that comprise the NATO Seasparrow Consortium. This contract to support the NATO Seasparrow Program Office is a follow-on effort, which was previously performed under contract N00024-08-C-5404. Work will be performed in Arlington, Va. (90 percent); and Chesapeake, Va. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy, fiscal 2013 international other procurement, Navy, fiscal 2013 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $2,656,727 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured based upon International Agreement IAW 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(4). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-14-C-5404).

ARMY

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a cost-plus-incentive-fee, option-included contract with a maximum value of $126,262,568 to provide logistics and operational support services to the Army and Marine Corps for shadow tactical unmanned aircraft systems. A portion of this contract includes foreign military sales in support of Australia. Work will performed in Afghanistan. A combination of fiscal 2014 procurement and fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,397,260 are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0001).

Avon Protection Systems Inc., Cadillac, Mich., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract with a maximum value of $23,471,543 to procure voice protection units for use with the joint service general purpose mask. Work performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-0007).

Wolverine Fire Protection, Mount Morris, Mich., was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $16,354,747 to procure a fire protection system for Defense Logistics Agency warehouse facilities at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with nine bids received. The Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity (W912BV-14-C-0002).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Sysco Seattle Inc., Kent, Wash., has been awarded a maximum $51,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for prime vendor full line food service distribution. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Location of performance is Washington with a Nov. 3, 2014, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-14-D-3708).

Sysco Seattle Inc., Kent, Wash., has been awarded a maximum $15,750,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for prime vendor full line food service distribution. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Locations of performance are Washington and Alaska with a Nov. 3, 2014, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-14-D-3706).

AIR FORCE

MACRO Industries Inc., Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a $16,912,163 firm-fixed-price contract for the C-130 Armor Plate Program. The C-130 Armor Plate Program replaces the current armor plate system for the C-130H aircraft. Work will be performed at Huntsville, Ala., and will be completed by Jan. 31, 2016. This award is the result of a competitive, full and open, small business set-aside. It was solicited electronically by Federal Business Opportunities. Twelve offers were received. Fiscal 2011 and 2012 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $16,912,163 are being obligated at time of award. The C-130 Contracting Office, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. (FA8504-14-C-0001)

The arrival of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter gives manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. an opportunity to sell the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. But its price tag, in excess of $100 million per airplane, will make it unattainable for most non-U.S. buyers, according to new analysis by The Teal Group, a market research firm. Other perennial contenders in international competitions, Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-15 Eagle, also are becoming out of reach for many nations.“We've jacked up the price of fighters,” says Teal Group Vice President Richard Aboulafia. “The export market’s reaction? ‘No, thank you,’” he tells industry executives at a meeting hosted by the Air Force Association, in Arlington, Va.Although the average unit price of fighters sold internationally today is $65 million — about the cost of a Super hornet — the bulk of the export market increasingly wants F-16 prices, which is about one-third less, says Aboulafia.Of 52 countries that buy fighters worldwide, 30 are in the $35 million to $50 million price range, he says. American firms face a “ real issue” trying to sell higher end machines, Aboulafia says. There are currently just five F-15 users after 40 years of trying to sell it internationally, and one non-U.S. user of the Super Hornet after 15 years of competitions, he says. “That's not good.”As the manufacturer of the F-16, Lockheed effectively owns the keys to the kingdom of export fighters, says Aboulafia. The problem is that the company is focusing its marketing efforts on the F-35 as it courts international buyers, and only a handful of countries can afford it.“It's very telling when you go to [Lockheed’s plant in] Fort Worth, Texas, that the F-16 line is treated like the red-headed stepchild,” he says. “I don't think it's necessarily in their interest to keep it going. … But it is concerning because, in terms of the export market, the F-16 line is extremely relevant and necessary.”The majority of buyers over the coming decades will shop for fighters in the price range of the F-16 or the Mirage 2000, made by France’s Dassault Aviation, Aboulafia says. “And that is the market that we're in danger of abandoning.”It is estimated that only seven countries could afford the Super Hornet and another seven might be candidates for the F-35, including Singapore, Japan, Israel and South Korea. That is a very small pool of buyers, says Aboulafia. For most countries, “a buck and a quarter isn't going to cut it,” he says, referring to the current price of the F-35. “If prices don't go down, the U.S. risks losing a considerable chunk of the world export fighter market which isn't only important from an economic standpoint, but also for strategic relations and keeping allies happy.”The United States already riled key allies when the Air Force decided to end production of Lockheed’s F-22 air-superiority fighter at 187 airplanes, before it could be sold internationally. “It is bad enough we killed the F-22 before satisfying Japan and Australia," Aboulafia says. The F-35 is now the only high-end fighter in a position to compete for a small number of wealthy nations’ business, he adds. “Having a one-size-fits-all $100 million fighter is just as dangerous in a lot of ways. The market might not grow to pay that price.”A shrinking pool of buyers is simply the result of global economic trends. A group of countries that used to buy lower end fighters bifurcated into haves and have nots. The haves, such as South Korea, moved up into the F-15 or F-35 market. The majority of the have-not countries — including Kenya, Bolivia and Argentina — no longer buy anything except used planes, says Aboulafia. “The market either migrated up or down.”This puts the United States in a tough spot trying to compete in the developing world as U.S. manufacturers struggle to keep their production lines going. “The last F-15 gets delivered in 2018 or 2019 to Saudi Arabia. … The last F/A-18 E/F exports deliver in 2015 or 2016 unless we win Brazil or Kuwait,” says Aboulafia. Current orders for F-16s would extend production until 2017. “This is worrying.”The biggest pot of future fighter business, which he calls the "undetermined" sector of the market, is in developing countries that demand lower prices and more technology transfer. “If you want to survive in the fighter market and you're not Lockheed or [Russian manufacturer] Sukhoi, this is what you have to access before the next decade.”The United States blew a major opportunity in India last year, where Lockheed and Boeing lost to Dassault’s Rafale, he says. “It's pretty clear we did a bad job of promoting U.S. products and make sure that everybody in Treasury, State and Defense were on the same page in terms of technology transfer and offset issues.”U.S. firms should worry about Sukhoi’s T-50 fighter, he says. “Russia fell from grace, but they've done a good job reinventing their industries,” Aboulafia says. “The T-50 looks real to me, although it's going to happen slower than expected.”There are only four remaining fighter competitions — in Brazil, Malaysia, Kuwait and Qatar — where the F-35 is not participating and the stakes are huge for the F/A-18, F-15 and F-16, he says. For U.S. industry, winning these deals could be a matter of survival, he says. “If you want more than one fighter line, you have to start accessing the undetermined market. ... That is why it was such a disaster when the F/A-18 lost India.”That Lockheed has kept the F-16 line going on exports alone is "extraordinary,” he says. Nearly 4,600 have been sold since 1970. “The F/A-18 is not going to have this future if the U.S. Navy stops buying them. It doesn't enjoy a decade thriving on exports.” The Super Hornet is “good value for money, but it's not in a sweet spot. It's not really high end, and not really 'great' value like the F-16 is.”Lockheed Martin spokesman Ken Ross says the company does not see the F-35 limiting its opportunities in the international market. The F-35 and the F-16 are “complementary” products, he says. The F-35 is for those countries that are looking ahead to the “next level of capability,” Ross says. “We provide options.”Chart Credit: Lockheed Martin